WORCESTER—Exclamations of approval were heard frequently Tuesday afternoon as members of the media were treated to a look at the Worcester Public Schools’ latest crown jewel, the new Doherty Memorial High School on Highland Street.
“It’s pretty fabulous and I am excited for the staff and students,” said Superintendent Rachel H. Monárrez, who was joined by Doherty principal John Staley and Mayor Joseph M. Petty.
“High school is the final frontier” for scholars in grades 9-12, before they go on to college or careers, Monárrez said.
Staley said one of the big differences between the new Doherty and the old Doherty is “more space. Crowding was an issue” at the previous site, he said.
Christopher M. Lee, design director with Lamoureux Pagano Associates/Architects, served as guide, leading those in attendance through the building from the rear entrance.
Dan O’Brien, chief communications officer for the district, described the facility as “a modern educational experience with state-of-the-art spaces for arts, athletics, collaborative learning, rigorous academics, and expanded career technical education offerings.”
The new school year begins on Aug. 26. O’Brien said an athletic field will be constructed next to the new building over the next several months.
“All the big stuff is done,” O’Brien said.
Sean W. Brennan, associate principal with LPA/A, provided a fact sheet touting the structure’s many modern features, with energy efficient high on the list. The “project overview” specifics put enrollment at 1,670 students and the construction budget at $268 million.
Lee, wearing a vest and holding a hard hat, pointed with pride to such key ingredients as the main gym, the upper lobby with its media center/café, the guidance suite, the auditorium, the main lobby (“the central point of entrance for students”), the cafeteria (which features an outdoor dining area, a mural wall and mezzanine with a drop-down screen), the 3,000-square-foot theater, the chorus room, the band room, the green room (filled with mirrors and lights, “a real crowd pleaser,” someone remarked), the music lab and a sample classroom.
Doherty’s color, burgundy, was incorporated into some of the walls.
The old building measured out to “55,000 square feet and had 55 classrooms, the new one is 102,000 square feet with 94 classrooms,” Lee said.
Julieanne Gamache who is director of CVTE/CTE for the system’s comprehensive high schools, of which Doherty is one, could hardly contain her enthusiasm as she talked about the new school.
“Three new programs in a brand new building!” she said. “This is my second year so I wasn’t around for the new South High. We are adding construction/craft/laborer, marketing, management and finance, and programming and web design to go with the pre-existing engineering technology.
“Probably my favorite is a sand pit” — literally, she said.
In pointing the actual sand pit out to his audience, inside the building, Lee said it was “for pipelining, different underground projects.”
Addressing attendees just prior to the tour, Robert F. Para Jr., a principal with LPA/A, said the new Doherty High School is “a real milestone for the city. Hundreds if not thousands of people have worked on this project. It was a great group effort.”
Rod Lee is a career journalist, a veteran of the media scene in Central Massachusetts and the author of seven books including the recently published “Gil Cristopher,” a novel about the difficulties associated with aging. He can be contacted at rodlee1963@gmail.com
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